Control of cockroaches and other crawling insects is traditionally achieved by applying sprayable insecticidal formulations, diluted with water, to various microhabitats within the infested premises. In the control of crawling insect pests such as German cockroaches, which typically inhabit kitchens, food preparation areas and similar sites, these insecticidal formulations must be applied to a wide variety of substrates found in homes and commercial establishments. Many of these substrates, such as particle board or related composites, vinyl tiles or painted finishes, are highly porous, permitting the insecticidal formulation to be absorbed into the substrate where the active agent may become unavailable and fail to control the target insect pest.
Sprayable formulations such as emulsifiable concentrates, are widely known to readily penetrate porous substrates thereby becoming unavailable on the surface of porous substrates. Conventional suspension concentrate compositions of insecticides such as arylpyrroles, particularly chlorfenapyr are described e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,845.
It is an object of this invention to provide sprayable insecticidal compositions having increased efficacy, particularly when applied to the surfaces of a variety of substrates found in homes, warehouses, commercial establishments and the like.